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Post by Phly on Mar 13, 2009 22:13:59 GMT -6
OoC: No, you brats, it's not happening right this second. This is just a chance for you guys to bring your pretty little Candidies to the hot Hatching Grounds.
IC:
Wherry eggs and bacon! Her absolute favorite! Today was staring off to be fantastic. Phaelith had been persuaded to eat and was in wonderful spirits. The head cook had arranged to make Norali's favorite breakfast so Norali was in wonderful spirits. One of the old weyrwomen had told her quite frankly that the Hatching could possibly be sometime today and Norali had felt it as well. The Eggs were too hard to be contained any longer and she, like the old weyrwomen, supposed that today was the day!
She'd sent out messages and dragons to all the ranking Holders and Crafters who had Candidates out on the Sands and who were dignified enough to attend. The Master Harpers of both continents were to be in attendance today and Norali was as nervous, excited, and jittery as any first time Candidate. The Weyrleaders of High Reaches, Ista, and Igen were to be here as well, she'd understood, as well as many of the Lord Holders from the North. Each of them were eager to see what the Southern queen of Northern birth would give to Pern.
Dressed in her best, even though she had no idea the exact hour the Eggs would begin to Hatch, Norali happily scarfed through her breakfast. The eggs and bacon were cooked to perfection and she reminded herself again that she really needed to give the head cook a hug. Glancing back at her gold, she sighed; Phaelith was still quite asleep, ever curled around that golden Egg of hers. Suddenly depressed being alone with all of these great, immobile Eggs, Norali stabbed angry one of her eggs, bursting its yoke all over her plate.
She didn't know where the sudden agitation had come from, but she figured it out pretty quick. In the moment that she looked away from Phaelith, the gold was up and awake, staring intently and impatiently at the I Surrender Egg. Something had happened. She was sure of it...She had felt it. A low grumble started in the gold's throat as she rose, her long neck stretching out to look at the Egg properly. Norali swiveled in her seat to look at her beast, but the gold's gaze and thoughts were focused solely on the Egg that she was sure had....
MOVED! It did! It was! The I Surrender Egg was jolting back and forth, slowly at first, but now was moving faster and faster! The Eggs around it too were beginning to shake...
"Phaelith --"
Wingriders, hear me and hear me very well. The guests must be brought, the Candidates assembled, the Eggs Hatch! The gold called to all the dragons in her Weyr.
Immediately, there was a flurry of motion, dragons winking /between/ and spiraling away, going to collect their charges. The Weyrling Master and Candidate Master assembled the boys and girls that would be called to Stand. Already, kitchen workers were assembling the buckets of meat for the Hatched dragonets when they made their way out of the Grounds. The Weyr worked efficiently and quickly so that, by the time the firs Egg cracked, everyone would be where they were supposed to be.
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Velcro
Titaniumrider
Posts: 33
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Post by Velcro on Mar 13, 2009 22:31:33 GMT -6
Avarian was persuaded into her Candidate's robe early this morning, the Candidate Master telling them all the today was potentially and probably the day. She was lounging in her bed, not bothering to do any of her usual chores or work, because running a message would take her away from the Weyr. She'd had breakfast not too long ago, and then she'd came back to change into the robes. Vari figured she couldn't be too prepared today, of all days. Plus the white robes were quiet comfortable, and no one had ever mentioned it. She'd figured it out when she stood for Phaelith's egg. Now she was standing for Phaelith's clutch!
When the Candidate Master came to gather all the candidates, Avarian was the first in line for the women's line. She had given herself a time advantage, by already being in her traditional garb. When they got to the hot sands, Vari noticed the minor movements of the eggs. It really was the day! Then she stepped and got hot sand in her sandal. It wasn't that bad, but she only ever noticed the heat when she had to wear these stupid sandals... why did they have to wear sandals? Really, who ever thought of that was an idiot. Vari felt that her mental grumbles were safer than the insecurity that some of the other candidates were surely feeling. Insecurity was not a word in Vari's vocabulary, or at least that could be applied to herself.
By the time Vari made it to the place she'd been directed to go, her thoughts hadn't changed much. With all the hype and tension leading up to the hatching, she was going to be agitated that hatching took so long! But she would do her best to be patient, since dragonets were more than worthy of her time. It would be even better if she walked out of the sands with a life partner in tow!
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Post by cerise on Mar 13, 2009 22:56:13 GMT -6
The time had come! Maybe none of the Candidates would have known it, as they weren't permitted to hang around the Hatching Sands, but the Candidate Master had made certain that they were all ready to go in case the eggs broke shell today, dressed in their cleaned and pressed white robes and brushed leather sandals. They had all been milling about since the wakeup call, waiting, hoping, some of them even praying that today would be the day they were united with their lifemates. And, not more than a few hours after the elder dragonrider had told them all that his bones felt the Hatching would be soon, something happened.
They were all assembled neat and orderly, the boys in one line, the girls in another, like clean little soldiers in their white robes. Raleigh was more excited than he had ever thought he could be; his heart was pounding against his ribs, rocking like a dragon egg, as though in a moment it would burst through his skin and expand into the world, its own being. For him, this Hatching would be the next, the greatest adventure in a life of seeking. And it was about to happen, in a matter of minutes now! His breath was caught in his throat, pulse a beating, trapped thing. They were standing still in a line, waiting for the call, but he felt compelled to motion. It would be soon, so soon!
A few Candidates back, Retselin was having second thoughts about this Hatching. Now that it was so nearly upon them, he was full of nerves, wracking him from head to toe. The eggs, yes, they were exciting, and a dragon would be a wonderful thing, but... what if he was left standing? Maybe that wasn't the worst that could happen, either. What if a dragon saw him and thought him completely unworthy? What if one of them hurt him, either out of some odd hatred or just youth and misjudgment? It happened; Retselin knew it did. And now here he was, awaiting his chance to stand terrified before these young dragons yet to hatch, and not sure if it was what he was meant to be doing.
The Candidate Master urged them forward, and Retselin gulped, his heart in his throats for completely different reasons than his brother. But both of them were going now, filing onto the warm sands to witness the birth of a new clutch of dragonkind, and a new Queen to revitalize Southern Weyr. Each of the boys in turn bowed to the golden weyrqueen, gleaming where she lay curled around the shells of her children. And the eggs were moving - some of them, rocking violently. Others were still, or only pulsing a little. But it did not matter; there was a feeling of life about the clutch that had not been there before, a feeling of something about to burst, almost a pressure in the air.
Raleigh and Retselin took their places in the semi-circle of male Candidates, and awaited their fates.
~
The boys were the first to troop out onto the Hatching Sands; the girls were left to wait just a little longer. But soon enough they too were walking onto the warm floor of the cavern, heading directly towards where the gleaming golden queen egg lay before its mother. Several paces away they made their semi-circle, all of them making obeisance to Phaelith as they took their places; it was out of respect not only to the mother of this clutch, but also to the young queen yet to hatch. She would warrant that respect when she burst from her shell, and they offered it before she was even fully born, in the hopes that she would choose one of them.
Halmari was among them, having drawn herself up to her fullest height, blonde hair tucked behind her ears. She thought she looked utterly bizarre in the white Candidate's robe, but dragonkind would not care about her appearance. It did not matter that she was groomed within an inch of her life, appearing in that morning more lovely than she had since she'd left the Hold from whence she came. It did not matter that the white robe was chafing her pale skin, nor that the hem was an inch too short for her height. All that would matter to the hatching dragons, especially the young Queen, was what was within.
Would she be worthy of one of them? Hope for a new life burned like an ember in the pit of her chest, accompanied by the ache of loneliness that she always carried. A dragon would be a perfect partner for her, but would she be for it? Still, she could not worry, could not doubt; she knew instinctively that if one of them chose her, it would be the one living creature she could always trust, a life's partner that would assuage that feeling of being lost, adrift, and alone. She would not be afraid, because she wanted this, more than she had ever wanted anything else in this world.
When she made her bow to the queen, her grey eyes were not on the ground, but fixated on the golden form, as though by impressing the mother she might Impress the daughter. Nothing was certain, but Halmari would not allow this uncertainty to ruin this moment for her, this Hatching. She was here, and she had come so far... she would find a new life for herself. This would be the start.
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Post by Khay on Mar 14, 2009 1:04:05 GMT -6
OoC: Okay guys, this is going to be lame. It is 4am, and I might not be on much tomorrow at all… Soooooo…. Here is a summary of my entrance post. xD I’ll write a paragraph, and key point it, and then I’ll write it out tomorrow? Forget it. I’m just laming it…. And I’ll edit first chance I get tomorrow. Xd And add my two other characters to the touching.
“AH! Sear the egg and scorch the shell! They couldn’t have waited 15 minutes for me to take my bath?!” A shoot was heard coming from a weyr as a man stood there, topless in his room. He wore only a towel around his waist, a hand upon his hip, and he was glaring at the wall mockingly. Slowly he ran a hand through his chocolate brown hair, messing it up as it stood on all directions. Sighing softly, he shoved both hands into his locks and flattened them to his head. He now had work to do. Talk about a lovely morning! He was expecting to relax, and stroll leisurely around the Weyr, ready and waiting! But no! He was expected to just walk out through the door and go pick up important people. Fun fun!
With a faint hop he walked towards his closet door and started to get dressed, quickly picking and choosing something that would be worth wearing, and somewhat fashionable. Honestly, he couldn’t be horribly dressed upon picking up a Lord Holder. Being a bronze rider had it quirks, dealing with Holders often was something that he had to do. Not to mention that he would be used as an ‘honours’ thing. There was something about the Holders that caused them to be arrogant jerks. Having a green pick them up was considered an insult. Talk about instigators. They couldn’t understand the concept of respect even if it smashed them in the face. Horrible people… Sometimes. Not all of them, but they were still horrible people.
“Xith, you old goon! GET UP! We have people to bring in, Lord Holders to Gather, Masters to eat!” He called over from behind closet doors as he pocked his head out to look at the bronze resting upon the ledge. His eyes were whirling quickly, his muscles were taunt. He was ready to spring into the air at any moment. His harness was set to carry an extra two people. His tail was raised, and he was watching his rider intently. A soft rumble vibrated through his throat as he shook his head. The rider couldn’t help but smile affectionately as he pulled on his shirt and quickly tucked it in.
~I’m already all set to go. Gleaming hide and everything. You’re the one who is slowing us down.~ The dragon countered with mirth as he shifted eagerly, running his nose beneath a wing because of an itchy spot.
The rider laughed softly as he walked towards the dragon, throwing on a riding jacket and grabbing a couple of riding helmets from his shelf. “Too true, my friend, too true.” He chuckled as he threw everything within a little bag. “But we have only a few minutes to gather people!” After making a double check around the room, he ran towards his dragon, watching as Xitherlyth turned himself around only to race towards the dragon, vaulting up upon his leg and practically running across his back. Only diving across the dragon’s back allowed him to catch the riding strap and haul himself in place as the bronze dragon launched himself into the air.
Az’re tied himself to a strap, leaning forward upon his dragon as the bronze raced higher into the air. And then they blinked between. Time to work.
After doing a few trips, the Bronze reappeared above the hatching grounds, gliding downwards towards the heights as he bugled in greeting to the Queen. Landing as gently as a bronze can upon the heights, he slowly lifts himself upon his haunches, humming eagerly as he watched the eggs intently. Az’re unbuckled himself with a whooping cheer as the candidates were brought in, sliding down his bonded’s back and landing upon the ground.
“It is time, old friend.” Az’re smirked as he leaned casually against the dragon’s leg. It brought back nice memories. Ah it was going to be a nice day!
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It had been a quiet morning thus far for Nidoria. She had woken up early, eaten a nice breakfast and then gone out for training. Of course, with Veskir, training was never easy. Walking into the stables had been fine. Getting her runnerbeast out from his stall had been fine… But it was once he was all tacked that the trouble really started. When she was upon his back, and trotting him around, he kept bucking faintly, playfully, and charging around the pen with a certain eagerness that she hadn’t seen in him for a while. It wasn’t even that he wasn’t walked everyday! Actually, he was exercised roughly for a while! She had to burn his energy somehow! But this morning, he was frisky, and there was nothing that she could do about it.
In the air, Eiko was being a pain also! There was no way to keep her calm and relaxed, nothing that could hold her attention more than the thing that she had her mind set on. Nidoria didn’t know what was going on! It wasn’t every day that she couldn’t get a green firelizard under control! Actually, she was almost ashamed of it! All this training, her state of the art green, was forgetting it all. Talk about a morning. If only to make matters worst, she fell off Veskir twice in two candlemarks. It was horrible. She was out of focus, and all she wanted to do was to race across the beach. She didn’t want to be here riding her equine in small figure 8s. He didn’t even want to be running around in the shapes anyway! However, since he wasn’t listening, she had to get him under her control. More hassle than she wanted. She was on break… And these three foursevendays had been hard on a working equine. He was obviously enjoying them a tad too much.
It was only when she was in the stables, grooming her equine that she heard a murmuring down one of the other aisles that she forced herself to finish up quickly and put her equine into a stall. What was going on? And then, Eiko was missing. Talk about a horrifying detail. She didn’t even want to think about all the trouble that that flit could get herself into!
A groan escaped her lips as she raced out of the stables only to see the whole place buzzing with activity. What was going one?! It was only from a passing group of people that she heard about the hatching… And that was really explaining everything. Her firelizard had ran off like a bat out of hell to go to the hatching. Now, like the fool that she was, she was racing after the dratted firelizard! It was truly amazing how they managed to suddenly disappear, those firelizards! They were there one moment and gone the next. For the Eggs sake! Talk about a busy morning, and it wasn’t going to get any less busy for the Weyr either!
When she entered the hatching grounds, her firelizard had been waiting for her. Chirping at her angrily for taking so long! The eggs were rocking, couldn’t she see?! Nidoria, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with it as she snatched her little darling out of the air and held her in her hands. Swiftly she ran up the steps of the stands, taking a seat in the middle as she placed the firelizard in her lap. Her eyes were traveling to all the candidates entering, looking for a certain femme amongst the white robes. And Eiko, being distracting as always, dashed up towards the heights, humming in greeting to the new eggs.
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In her room nervously fretting with her robes, Minari felt the gut clenching anxiety as she raced out of her room and went towards the hatching grounds. There she stands with the nervous bunch of female candidates, nervous herself, but really hopeful.
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Drawing (because that is all he does, and it is all I can think of at 4am…) Aziae quickly threw his book upon his bed and raced towards the hatching grounds. He couldn’t wait to see what the people around him were going to impress and he knew that he’d have to get back home to sketch as soon as possible. Hatchings were said to go fast, but he would have loved to have caught some people’s impressions before it was his own turn… If he impressed.
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And they stop me from eating my breakfast…. Ny thought as he pushed his chair back in, and was practically kicked out of the kitchen. Honestly, he hadn’t thought that people would be so rude. He at least wanted to put back his plate. Their excuse, there was a hatching that he had to attend. Yeah, big surprise there.
(Stuff)
Swiftly he rushed towards the hatching grounds, practically running, while the only thing on his mind was the fact that he wanted these robes to have pockets… Why? He didn’t know. Pockets would be nice. It was all his way of ignoring the stress of the situation.
Upon entering the hatching grounds, he was met with the same queezy feeling as the first time… Perhaps he shouldn’t have ate breakfast… He walked towards a spot on the edge of the circle of eggs, waiting for the first dragon to spew out.
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Post by Kabohela on Mar 14, 2009 10:41:30 GMT -6
Shula had breakfast with her father, who was attending the Hatching both because of his Harper status and because she was a candidate. Even her excitement and nerves didn't stop her from wolfing down her breakfast. She chattered away to Lyvanye the whole time. "I hope I Impress! I wonder what kind of dragon I'll get?" She had chosen to ignore the fact that girls could only Impress female dragons, and that dragons only came in five colors. "Hey, do you think it's weird that we're eating eggs for breakfast? He he..."
"Erm..." Lyvanye smiled at his daughter, and was saved from answering as she continued to babble. She was finally interrupted by a sudden flurry of activity. Shula jumped out of her seat. "The Hatching! Oh no, the Candidate Master is probably wondering where I am..." She gave her father a quick kiss on the cheek, he gave her a "good luck," and she was off.
A few minutes later Shula scurried onto the sand, almost tripping over her too-big candidate robe. She joined the other girls in their semi-circle around the Gold egg, almost jumping from foot to foot in her excitement. If she Impressed, it just might make coming to the South worth it.
***
Aldril had spent the day lounging around the barracks, not wanting to leave and miss the call to the Hatching. He was actually beginning to doze off, having lost sleep the night before because of the thoughts running through his head. The Candidate Master startled him awake.
He followed the other boys to the Hatching Grounds, feeling almost unreal. The day he had been waiting for was finally here! As he settled into place around the eggs, he glanced around at the other candidates, wondering which of them would be his future Wingmates. Noticing Avarian with the girls, he waved at her and mouthed a "good luck."
Of course, he could always be left standing. If that happened, there was always another chance. Aldril was just going to try and enjoy this experience.
***
Sileyn trailed behind the other candidates a little. He was more nervous than he should be about the Hatching. He had seen Hatchings so many times before, but he had never been standing on the sands. It was only after his mother and brother's deaths that he finally made the decision to become a candidate. Now he was going to find out if it was the right decision.
He stood with the others, wringing his hands in an unconscious nervous gesture. His eyes were on the first rocking egg, and as a way of distracting himself from his nerves, he tried to guess what color would come out of it. He guessed brown; an auspicious enough beginning, but more likely than a bronze.
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Post by dragoncharm on Mar 14, 2009 11:01:00 GMT -6
The Candidate Master had told them to be ready. He'd been telling the Candidates to be ready for the past sevenday, and it was starting to get on Amintia's nerves. How many more times would she have to wake up wondering if this was the day where dreams came true, and then be disappointed? How many more times would she listen to the Candidate Master telling them to be prepared, and have nothing to prepare for? It was frustrating. It was aggravating. It was putting Ami on edge. But today...today was different. It felt different. Ami wasn't quite sure what it was, but something had changed in the air. Everything seemed tight, tense, as if the world was holding it's breath...waiting...It was like stacking more and more blocks on top of each other, waiting with baited breath for the one that would overbalance it and cause the whole pile to topple over. It made Amintia anxious, restless. The rest of the candidates seemed to be able to feel it to; people were milling around listlessly, waiting, waiting like the rest of Pern. In a way, this waiting was also like a brewing storm: just before the storm hits, the world is silent, tense, so heavy the air is practically tangible, solid, and then the storm breaks, and there is release. It was the terrible quiet before the storm, now. Amintia couldn't stand it. When would release come? Ever since waking and scarfing down a tasteless breakfast, Ami had been milling restlessly like all the rest of them, going to her room, cleaning up just for something to do, drifting back out and sitting down, then getting up again, unable to stand being still. She seemed to be responding to the waiting, her chest growing tighter as time went on, filling up with restless energy. She'd arrange the things in her room, well aware she may never be sleeping in it again, and rearrange again, unable to be satisfied with anything. Arrange, rearrange, stack, unstack..How long would this go on? Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to stand it any longer, the announcement was made. It was time. The bubble of tightness in her chest burst, filling Amintia was a refreshingly different feeling than the tense, buzzing waiting; now she was excited, anxious, almost scared for it to happen but no longer feeling the same restless agitation that had plagued her the entire morning. She was already dressed in her crisp white robe and stiff sandals, and it took only a moment for her to line up behind Avarian. Her sandals had been bothering her all day, the stiff leather cutting painfully into her feet ,but she did not feel it now. The candidate robe she wore was slightly too long, but she didn't care. The itching of the hem that had so annoyed her now seemed nonexistent, or, at least, of so little importance at this time it didn't even merit thought. All Amintia could think of now was what lay ahead. Today really was the day! The day that could make, or break, a young candidate's dreams. The excitement and hope and fear and wonder and anxiety filled Amintia from head to toe. Would she be good enough to merit Pern's most cherished creatures, and earn the exalted title of dragonrider? Would she be one of the lucky few that walked off with a Lifemate? Or one of the ones who would be left standing, with nothing to show for their efforts? And was it possible that she might get the queen? There were so many other candidates, so many for the baby Gold to choose from! Ami knew she'd choose right. And even as she reached up to make sure her coppery hair wasn't acting up, she knew that the Queen wouldn't care about looks. She'd care about what was inside. Was Ami's inside good enough for the gold that deserved only the best? Would all the times she'd left a boy with a bloody nose count against her? She'd done it to protect others, always. Either to protect others or to protect her honor. Weren't those reasons enough? Did it matter? No, it really didn't, she decided. Whatever she'd done in the past could not be undone, and she would not fret over it, for that would do nothing. What truly mattered was the here and now, and here was the Hatching! The day to end all days! And Ami would face it with her head held high! The lads entered the Hatching Sands first. Amintia watched them troop out, so alike in their uniform robes and sandals, each with their head held high and their chests puffed out with pride at this wonderful chance at an ever-exciting, ever-miraculous life. And yet, they were all so different as well, and not jut in the varieties in hair color and face shape, height and skin color, but in their thoughts and feelings. Some were surely confident and strong, some tense, second-guessing themselves, while others would be wondering what colors would come from which eggs and what their names would be, with no regard to whether they would receive one for themselves or not. It was interesting to try and guess the feelings of each as they walked by. Then it was the girls' turn. Amintia started walking forward with the others without really paying attention, all her thoughts focused on what lay ahead. For all that she'd been bred by Oldtimers, she'd never seen a hatching. It was going to be marvelous! Even if she didn't Impress - and with one queen egg and no idea how many green eggs she very well may not - it would still be a spectacle, a memory she'd carry with her her whole life long. The girls formed a loose semicircle around the giant, beautiful Queen Bee Egg. Amintia still marveled at how magnificent it was, how, no matter how you looked at it, it still seemed to gleam faintly with gold,though the gold wasn't really its primary color. Or it didn't appear to be, at least. Soon, the little Queen would appear from the egg! Who would it choose? Amintia? Avarian, standing beside her? Any of the other girls? The Queen would choose only the best. Ami barely dared to hope it could be her, for hope would lead to disappointment, but the very thought of being bonded to a Gold took her breath away. Maybe...just maybe...it was possible that she would be the one. The clutchmother was as beautiful as the queen her egg bore would surely be, and as Amintia bowed to her, she kept her eyes trained on Phaelith's beautiful golden hide, her brilliantly whirling eyes, and a longing stronger than anything she'd felt before gripped her, making her gasp. She so wanted a dragon, one as beautiful and marvelous and great and bigger than life than the massive Queen in front of her! Having a dragon would be greater than all the riches in the world combined! ____________________ Today Tolly hadn't been allowed to sleep late. He was usually able to hide out for a while longer than the other candidates, but today, they'd all been gotten up early, no exceptions. On any other day, Tolly'd've stolen back to the barracks for an extra candlemark of sleep, but today he didn't mind being gotten up early. Because everyone was saying today would be the day. Normally Tolly stayed away from the babblings of the old riders, but back at Fort he'd learned to pay heed when they said a Hatching was coming. He never knew how they did it, but somehow the oldsters always knew. So when they were told by the Candidate Master to get ready, Tolly did what he was told, pulling on his candidate robe and sandals, because he sure as shards wasn't going to miss a Hatching just because he couldn't find his sandals! Yet as the morning wore on without missing a beat, he began to regret that decision. Scorch it, those things hurt!. But he could bear a little pain if it got him a dragonet, right! Of course! So he wore them the whole morning, even as sharding painful as they were. He really should have thought to break into these first... Even Tolly felt the tension of the day. Everyone seemed to. It was making him jumpy. What was a good remedy for jumpiness? Bubbly pies were a good remedy for anything, and sure as shards, the cooks would be making plenty for the Hatching Feast. So part of Tolly's morning was spent raiding the kitchen for some pies. He couldn't've picked a better day for it; the head cook had all the cooks and drudges running about everywhere, and a small dark boy wasn't noticed. Shards, there were so many bubbly pies resting on the racks, nobody would think to see if one or two were taken! So the remaining candlemarks were spent in his room, eating his few bubbly pies with relish. Tolly was torn between eating them slowly to enjoy them, or eating them quickly while they were still hot. As it turned out, the first one was hot, and the second and third cooler as the time went along. Still, cold bubbly pies were better than none at all! And he'd been right. A full stomach did cure jumpiness. Then, it was time. The candidates were called to line up, and Tolly rushed to be ready with the rest of them. he ended up an inconspicuous figure in the center of the line. Well, inconspicuous right now. When they spread out in the Hatching Sands, he'd be the tiny one in the middle, very conspicuous. Just how he wanted it. If he wanted a dragon, he needed to be noticed, right? Then Tolly noticed something he hadn't wanted; he'd gotten a bit of bubbly pie juice on his robe! Shard and scorch it all! He hadn't wanted to get it dirty. Well...it was only a small stain, and if he folded his robes just like that...there! That covered it up. Nearly. Then it was time to go out. Tolly forgot about his pie stain quick enough, and looked ahead, eyes shining with excitement. Today was the day! He'd seen hatchings at Fort as a weyrbrat, but only from afar with the other 'brats, and this was so much different. Now he was Standing! He was in the Hatching, not just watching it! Today was the day he could get a dragon! A bronze? Brown? Blue? A bronze or a brown would be sharding great, but even a blue meant a dragon. Or a green, too. Anything was better than nothing! What would his name be? It wouldn't be Tolly anymore. T'olly? T'lly? T'ly? Shard it, he didn't care what it ended up being! He would be a dragonrider! Him! It wouldn't matter that he was only thirteen Turns, barely old enough to Stand, or that he was probably the shortest one here. He'd have a dragon, and nobody could mess with him! But he was assuming he'd get a dragon. He shouldn't, for he might not, Tolly berated himself. But he was Weyrbred, and he so wanted to become a dragonrider like his father! Surely he could Impress? He so hoped he could! He had to! He would, and Teriesa would be so proud! They walked onto the Sands, Tolly wincing as hot sand got into his sandals, and got their first glimpse of the eggs. Some were rocking violently by now, some only shivering, some not moving at all, but all would hatch a little dragonet! Would one of them be his? He so hoped so! They were all so beautiful; they must contain marvelous hatchlings. He stood, fidgeting with excitement, all discomfort forgotten, waiting for the first dragonet to hatch, and start the flow of dragonets, one of which had to contain his Lifemate!
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Post by wolflover1458 on Mar 14, 2009 11:05:58 GMT -6
Hat-what? Hatc... Hatch.. hatching... hatching... Hatching! Oh my gosh, the hatching! Lidi flurried up and hurried to get her white candidate robe on. She ended up getting stuck inside it. She removed it more slowly, then put it on again very slowly, this time correctly.
Lidi got in line with the other candidates, wishing she could have showed up a little faster. She walked out quickly and took her place in the front of the female candidates. She wasn't afraid of being mauled or anything, that was a part of the hatching. Besides, she coudl see the eggs from much better here.
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Nalel muttered as he put on his candidate sandals and white robe. He hated wearing sandals, but there was no use in complaining about it. He was excited that the hatching was finally here. Nalel walked a bit awkwardly for a bit, not used to wearing the sandals.
After he got used to the sandals, Nalel got in line and went down to the hatching grounds with the others. The I Surrender egg looked like it was already rocking back and forth. Nalel wondered which egg would hatch first. It would probably be the I Surrender egg, since it was already moving. Still, you could never know.
Nalel took his place by the boys. He got close to the front of the group, close enough so he could see most of the eggs, but still behind some of the other candidates. He looked at the eggs anxiously, though his face didn't show it. He wondered which one would hatch first, and to whom the dragonets would Impress.
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Finally! That moment every candidate had been waiting for. Finally! Senra slapped on her sandals and slipped on her candidate robe. She got in her place in line, somewhere near the back, and waited for everyone else to file out.
She took her place on the sands on the side of the girls. She wasn't exactly in front, but she could see all the eggs from here. She wondered by which way to the dragonets would come towards the candidates.
Senra was very worried over the whole thing. She had spent the whole Touching with that one egg. She couldn't be positive, because she hadn't touched the other eggs, but Senra felt almost certain the tiny egg hadn't been as warm as it should be. Would it even hatch? Maybe it wouldn't, and maybe it would. Now was the time they would find out.
For Senra though, she would rather the dragonet already be dead, rather than try to get out of the egg and fail, dying inside. Or even worse, getting out and Impressing, then dying later. Not only would the dragon inside the Lonely Hearts Club egg not get a real chance at life, but the life of whoever they Impressed would also be ruined. Senra looked across the sands at the lonely white egg, then back to the others.
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You need to hurry up. We will be late. Wequith does not want to be late. Since when do you care? Most of those dragons will probably end up bigger than you. Why would I care about that? Exactly, you wouldn't. T'zon chuckled at his dragon, then climbed up on Wequith. They began a descent to the hatching grounds.
T'zon wondered how many of the Candidates wouldn't be prepared to make sure the dragons didn't eat to much. Once they Impressed, they were going to learn how to feed their dragons properly. If any of them had any qualms about blood or cutting, they were going to have to get over them quick.
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Post by Phly on Mar 14, 2009 12:19:57 GMT -6
By Faranth, it was about time these sharding little Eggs got a'rocking. Norali had been whispering and getting everyone excited for almost a sevenday and now she was barely going to deliver. It was irritating that the woman was running everyone on a pre-Hatching emotional high just to bring everyone down again when they didn't Hatch. The Candidate Master barked at her, peeking into her room and seeing that she still wasn't quite ready yet. She threw him a dirty look, but did finally step into her sandals after he popped his head back out. That numbwit needed to mind his own business.
She strode across the Grounds, much slower and much more at ease than the other Candidates who sprinted past her, panic written on their sad, sad little faces. Please. This was a Hatching, not an execution. Lenia had been left Standing enough times not to get emotionally distraught over the whole affair. Sure, it brought her confidence down a peg each time every single dragonet passed her on the Sands, but there was always next time and she did have several Turns before she was banned from Standing due to her age.
Until then, she though entering the sweltering hot grounds with a slight sigh. she wasn't going to get worked up if she didn't Impress. It happened. She knew one brown rider who had to sneak onto the Hatching Grounds after the Weyrleaders deemed him too old to Impress because of his age and still got his bronze.With Phaelith being young and the Pass upon them, she was sure she had plenty of time to Impress.
Standing before Phaelith and a giddy looking Norali, Lenia dutifully bowed, knowing her responsibilities as a Candidate. Phaelith snorted darkly at her, earning a cocky smirk from the Candidate who promptly stepped back when the gold hissed threateningly at her. Norali glared at the both of them as Lenia backed up, standing in the comfortable space between the two lines of Candidates. Vaguely, she wondered if Nidoria was in the Stands like she said she would be.
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Post by Event on Mar 14, 2009 13:18:16 GMT -6
For one long moment, the entire Weyr held its breath, ever single voice was stifiled in the Hatching Grounds. Not a flitter chirruped, not a soul moved. All eyes remained upon the shaking I Surrender Egg. It was moving quite violently all alone for a moment before the other Eggs around it took up the pulsing vibration. The humming of the dragons around the Weyr grew louder and louder, almost deafeningly. As the pitch and intensitiy of their thrumming increased, those in the Hatching Ground looked to their firelizards and the wherhandlers out around the Weyr looked to their charges, each hearing the expectant humming of a dragonkin waiting for new birth.
It wasn't the I Surrender Egg that exploded open first, as everyone seemed to be expecting. No, instead, the tapping on the inside of the Sunrise Egg grew louder and louder and as the spectators watched, began to crack. A few feet away, the It's All About Me Egg was developing cracks and, as it wobbled, it began to move, rolling off of its mound and knocking gently into the Hey Jealousy! Egg. Neither Hatched immediately, giving the Sunrise Egg the moment of glory it wanted.
With one more violent shake, the Sunrise Egg exploded open. its Egg shards sprinkling and peppering the Eggs around it, cracking them as well. From out of the wreckage the dragonet had made of the oval prison, a very wet, very pastel, very green, and very round green dragonet made her way out of her shell. The crowd let out a garbled, 'Err--uh?" almost simultaneously as they all stared at this rather fat looking dragon. How much goo had been in there for her to eat? Honestly! That Egg wasn't that big!
Oblivious to the crowd's perplexity, the green stumbled forward on awkward feet, actually knocking into the It's All About Me Egg. Her bumbling shattered the thinning shell that kept her Clutchmate captive. The blue that emerged allowed the crowd a sigh of relief: He wasn't over weight! No, he was very, very long, probably rivaling the length of any of the browns that'll surely Hatch from this bunch!
He spared an aloof glance for his sister and gently bumped her out of his way. She howled in annoyance at him; what a rude thing he was! Fanning her wings in annoyance, she stalked away from him, irritated though not entirely upset. As he made a march towards the males, she began to study the females in earnest, noting that all of them seemed to be converged upon the gold Egg at Phaelith's feet, well, all except one who didn't seem to be taking the side of either gender. Sniffing at this solitary female Candidate, the green snorted in disgust. Definitely not!
As she was about to make her choice, the whole crowd gasped in delight, making her turn around in interest. The I Surrender Egg had finally spilled its contents, revealing the first bronze of the Clutch! By Faranth! he might not have Hatched first, but perhaps he could Impress first! But...he didn't seem to want to move! Not at all. He was staring at something very firmly that was just near his shell. No one from their position could tell what he was looking so hard at, but their attention quickly wavered from him to the green who had just squawked with delight.
Hers was looking so hard at that queen Egg, but...she would see that the queen wasn't right for her! Not at all! Not when she could have Xelarith! Bugling, she pranced forward, tripping up on her wings and rolling to a stop right at Amintia's feet.
Amintia! I've found you, but I fell down. Can you help me up, please? She asked sweetly.
~~
Completely oblivious to the first Impression of the day, a tall and long figure was rapidly approaching the Hatching Grounds from the South side, towards the emergency exit area that had been carved into it's back. A young woman was quickly making her way towards it as well. Probably a Candidate. She couldn't see him! Not until he was ready! No one could see him!
Drawing the knife from his hip, he gripped it firmly in his hand, grabbing the young woman around around the waist and, before she could utter even a squeak of protest, neatly slit her throat. No one would stop him. No one!
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Firey
Amberrider
Posts: 15
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Post by Firey on Mar 14, 2009 13:18:27 GMT -6
OoC: Bleh... >.< .... o.o Not fair xD We posted at the same time! *dies* Oh well >.>
IC: As soon as the call went out that the eggs were beginning to hatch, Xaiorynth had been rushed into his Candidate robes and sandal, much like some of the others. As much as he didn’t want to be there, and as much as he wanted to simply hide away and wait this thing out, the air of expectancy and excitement was a little more contagious than he would ever admit. There was a feeling like something magical was about to happen, and they all had to be a part of it, somehow… to witness it. Then again, now that he thought about it, the promise of new life always seemed to have that kind of sway over people… Innocence in its purest of forms, completely untainted…
With his copper-brown hair in disarray (more because he wasn’t of mind to fix it than anything), the Journeyman followed the crowd of candidates to the Hatching Sands, the scene a little reminiscent of the Touching that had taken place not too long ago. The only real different being that they were all in white and they hadn’t really been expecting anything of the visit. Now, however, things were very much different. For some, he had heard, this was the only thing that they wanted to do, the only thing that they could imagine themselves being, and others yet spoke of other hatchings that they had weathered. What a strange group of people... Was he the only one that was hoping to come away from this with nothing, to go back to his life? Sighing mentally, he had to admit that he probably was. Every voice that he had heard speaking over his stay in the Weyr spoken of nearly nothing but this Hatching, of imagining riding whatever imaginary dragon they envisioned themselves being bonded to.
It wasn’t until he had stepped onto the hot sands with his sandaled feet that he had realized where he was. A part of him was amazed that he had been able to ignore the many bodies that were surrounded him in the corridors, the bodies that still did. But he didn’t have time to be amazed by the thought when he saw that some of the great golden Queen hovering over her clutch, watching, protecting the eggs presumably until they hatched and chose their life partners. Despite himself, Xaiorynth smiled faintly at the sight, though it was gone as soon as it came. There were other things to think about... like the event that had begun to take place merely moments before, the thing that could very well change any of their lives. For better or for worse, though, the man couldn’t say.
Tearing his aquamarine gaze from the Gold dragoness, the Candidate looked around at the gathering crowd of visitors – probably Holders and the families of those that were hoping to Impress – of riders and their dragons. A flash of nervousness blossomed in his eyes, making them a little wider than they normally would have been. Along with that, his stomach did a weird flip-twist thing, and he could feel his muscles tensing… Though he couldn’t say if was from the instinct to flee, or from excitement. Most likely a bit of both. He had told himself that it was to be about the hatchlings, and only about that… That was how it was supposed to be, wasn’t it?
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Post by Event on Mar 14, 2009 14:18:02 GMT -6
With the green well away, all eyes returned to the blue who was taking his sweet time making a decision and the bronze who seemed absolutely petrified of something, so utterly scared that he doesn't seem to be able to move an inch. He squawked unhappily at his Clutchbrother who didn't even turn to spare him a glance. This 'Impression' business was very hard, the blue discovered, and that bronze wasn't making things any easier. He really needed to hush and let him focus or else he'd never decide on anyone!
Snorting unhappily, he sat down at the very edge of the male line, his eyes whrling red, showing off his hunger and agitation at not being able to make his mind about anyone. There was one who felt particularly strong to him, but he wasn't entirely sure. Sighing, he turned his head back to the bronze who was prancing back and forth, unable to move forward.
Irritated by his fright, the blue flounced over, draconically glaring at the bigger dragonet. The bronze crooned unhappily at him and pointed his nose at what was scaring him. A trundlebug was stuck to some of the egg goo that remained on a shard of his shell. It was weakly trying to scurry out of the mess and was being hampered by all the sand that the bronze was kicking up into the air as he hopped back and forth.
Exasperated, the blue flicked the piece of shard away with his forepaw, sending the trundlebug far, far away. The bronze bugled with delight, happily butted his Clutchbrother and made a beeline for the boys, knowing exactly who he wanted. Startled by his sudden departure, the blue looked after the bronze and barked a complaint at him. He had better not take his boy!
Pushing back the foolish female that was standing just in between the two lines, the blue made after his Clutch brother, but...was too late. The bronze had Impressed to a tall and muscular young man in the front.
R'leigh! Did you see that bug? It was hideous! I hated it! I never want to see another one again!
In his haste to get to the male line, the blue tripped and fumbled himself, falling almost completely on top of the Leave Me Alone Egg which had just rolled itself father away from some of the other shaking Eggs, but not far enough to miss the scurrying blue's progress.
At the loud smack of their collision, the crowd gasped, fearing the worst as the blue shrieked with fright and protest. He fell into the imploding Egg and a much more feminine sounding cry mingled with his own. In the dim light of the Hatching Grounds, it was impossible to tell what kind of dragonet lay inside. If anything, it looked like there wasn't a dragonet inside, for there was a large shadow blocking everyone's view.
Wait...that...was no shadow. Murmurings broke out inside of the Hatching Grounds that turned into gasps of fright once the two dragonets immerged. While both of them seemed completely unharmed, the Holders, Craftsmen, and Dragonrider alike were terrified. The second dragonet was not brown, nor blue, nor green, nor bronze, nor gold. It was black. Black as night. Black as death. Even the blue next to her - for it had made a feminine sounding cry - looked unnerved by her appearance.
Not wishing for him to remain staring at her, she butted him and hard, sending him sprawling onto the Sands. Scared for the first time in his young life, the blue scampered off, seeking the comfort of his rider.
A'veer! A'veer! She scares me! The blue said, wishing for a rare moment of comfort from his lifemate.
Unhappy with her surroundings, the lone black dragon butted the Cloudy Skies Egg, shattering it on contact. Another strangled gasp ripped through the Hatching Grounds. A second black dragon! What a terrible omen! What a terrible day! First the destruction of Benden and Fort! Now two terrifying looking black dragons.
The second one cheerfully butted the first, warbling a greeting. While the first seemed to be happy she had company, she wasn't at all interested in him anymore and began to flounce off. He however, seemed quite taken with her and began to follow, only to get roared at until the second retreated. As he began to walk off, another egg shattered, revealing a normal looking blue. The crowd was reassured, but...not really. Two freak dragons!
~~
From where he stood watching, the man shook with rage. This is what became of Weyrmen! Their dragons turned! They would over run the world! They were evil! The evil ways of the dragonmen finally showed in their hideous black dragons! Pern needed to be rid of them! All of them! Starting with that whore gold who had produced this Clutch in the first place.
His hand gripped tighter on his knife, but he didn't move to attack. Not yet. It was too soon. No one must know of him yet. He needed to get his son first...
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Post by dragoncharm on Mar 14, 2009 14:21:57 GMT -6
Though the Queen Be Egg was by far the most important to Amintia, the candidate couldn't help but look around at the other eggs as well, though every few seconds her eyes would dart back to the Gold egg, just to be sure it hadn't moved. It seemed like the only other animated things on Pern were the eggs. Everything else was still, as if all but those standing on the sands had been frozen in time. It was so quiet; everyone in the Stands were holding their breath, and not even a firelizard dared chirp. Everyone was still, as if trying to stop their hearts beating for fear that it would be so loud they'd miss the telltale cracks of a hatching egg. The only thing to break the illusion was the deep, vibrant humming that filled the air. The resonating sound filled Amintia's chest, making her feel unreal. The hum that was the only sound in the world seemed to stretch out of the Sands, out of the Weyr, filling every corner of Pern with its might. It was a noise of excitement, of expectation, of strength and power and confidence and certainty. It kept Amintia buzzing and full of energy, made her feel like she could do anything! The I Surrender Egg was rocking so hard, Ami thought it must break shell first. But instead, it was the Sunrise Egg that caught her attention. Though other eggs were starting to seem like they'd hatch soon, it was the Sunrise Egg that was the first to break. Amintia blinked when it shattered so suddenly, as if the dragonet inside was eager to get out. It took her a moment to focus on the hatchling, and she saw it clearly just as the crowd let out a murmur of surprise. It was a green. A very light, very round green. Shards, it must be bigger than the egg it came from! The tiny thing looked practically Clutchheavy, but...pretty cute, too. She watched, actually rather charmed, as it stumbled forward - right into the It's All About Me Egg. The blue that hatched from the resulting crash looked more normal that the green, at least - or at least, he wasn't fat. He did look long enough to rival a brown, however! Ami watched as he bumped the green out of the way, and she howled at him. Not that Amintia blamed her very much. He could have just gone around. Still, these were hatchlings. did she really expect them to make sense? Since the other dragonet was a blue, and would not Impress to a girl, Amintia elected to watch the green make her way towards the girls standing around the Gold egg. The thought of that Queen made Amintia looked around at the egg at the center of their semicircle, but it was still showing no signs of hatching. The gasp of edelight that came from thousands of mouths had Amintia looking back at the other eggs, to see that the I Surrender Egg had hatched at last. A bronze! She wondered idly which boy it would Impress to, but it didn't seem to want to Impress at all; not yet, anyway. What on Pern was that dragonet staring at? She couldn't tell. Something in the sand? Since he didn't seem to be doing anything interesting, she turned her attention back to the Queen egg, nearly forgetting about the little green. A high-pitched bugle from small lungs made her remember quickly enough. The fat little green was running - straight towards them! Ooh, who would she Impress to? A gasp escaped her as the dragonet tripped over her own wings and rolled to a stop - right on front of Ami! Aw! Even on the ground and covered in sand, the green really was cute! A fond smile spread over Amintia's face at the form of the green. Her smile turned to an open-mouthed look of shock as another presence was suddenly with her, in her mind. It wasn't just a voice, but a whole other being, intruding on her thoughts! Except, it didn't feel like it was intruding. It felt right. Like the being was supposed to be there. Amintia! I've found you, but I fell down. Can you help me up, please? It was a sweet, beautiful voice, like that of a child. It took Ami a moment to realize who it was coming from. For a moment, she stared at the grene in blank shock. A green? But...but she was a Queen candidate! She wasn't supposed to have a green! It was - it was - surely, someone else...The grene stared at her in confusion. Amintia? You do not want me? And the confusion and hurt in the voice nearly broke Amintia's heart. She didn't need a Queen, but this little green needed her. This was her green, and always would be. She couldn't let her down, couldn't refuse the bond already blossoming. Someone else could have the Queen, someone who deserved it more, because Amintia would have this green and be sharding happy with her! It was a wonderful green. Hadn't she just been thinking about hos cute she was? She smiled in acceptance and joy, and knelt down to hug the green. "Of course I want you, Xelarith," she told the dragonet. Ami wasn't sure where the name had come from, but it seemed right. This was Xelarith. Her dragon. She had a dragon! Xelarith crooned happily to Hers as the new Weyrling helped her green up. "That better?" she asked, and Xelarith nodded happily. Now that Amintia had a closer look, she could see that the green looked healthy for all her apparent obesity. And she was cute. Looking at Xelarith's face, Amintia could see that she had a very feminine look to her; even if her hide had been blue, or brown, that face still would have screamed 'female'. It was a pretty face. Trying out the newfound telepathy, Ami suggested to her dragon, Let's go get you fed, okay? Xelarith cocked her head quizzically, as if she'd forgotten how hungry she was, then nodded as the hunger once more caused her stomach to squirm. She needed food! Amintia winced; she could feel her hatchling's hunger as if it were her own. And...quickly. And the new pair walked off the Sands without a glance back. _________________ Tolly waited impatiently for the first egg to hatch. What was taking so long? He wanted the hatching to start - officially! Everyone was holding their breath, and the dragons were all humming, and it was so tense Tolly was beginning to feel all jumpy again. The I Surrender Egg was wobbling really hard. Come on, you can do it! he urged the dragonet inside. Hatch! But it was a green that hatched first. Tolly had to suppress a surprised laugh at the little hatchling. She was...fat! It looked so funny! Like she was egg-heavy, only she was tiny, and greens didn't clutch, anyway. Cute little thing. But he was more interested in the blue that she caused to hatch. Now there was an impressive creature! That blue must be as long as any brown! Tolly figured if he had to get a blue, then that would be a darn blue one. Not afraid to push his way past that green, either. Then he saw the I Surrender Egg hatch from the corner of his eye, and turned quickly to look. It was a bronze! Oh, maybe this would be Tolly's bronze! He waited with baited breath for it to start making it's way towards the boys. But...huh? Why wasn't it moving? What was it looking at? Tolly tried turning his head every angle he could think of, but still couldn't tell. He- llo? There wasn't a candidate hiding down there, he was sure! C'mon, bronze, he encouraged it. Come here! Choose your rider!Getting bored, he glanced back at the blue, who was now at the end of the boy's line, looking agitated. But no sooner had Tolly glanced at him than the blue flounced over to his bronze brother, woh was now - Faranth! - hopping about in fright. Tolly frowned. What could he be so scared of? Apparently the blue wondered too, for he looked down at the Sands as well, and then, somehow managing to look very clearly irritated, flicked away a shard which, with his sharp eyesight, Tolly managed to see had a trundlebug on it. This time he did laugh. The bronze had been afraid of a little bug! How weird was that? Tolly watched as the bronze, obviously delighted at his blue's heroic deed, pranced over to the males. Tolly held his breath; fraidy-flitt or not, it was still a bronze, and Tolly would be so happy it if - but it didn't. It Impressed to a different lad down the line. Tolly swallowed his disappointment, reminding himself that there were, after all, many other eggs yet to hatch, and some of them surely must be bronzes. The diminutive candidate turned his attention back to the blue, who was now running full-out to the boys. His eyes widened as he saw that the blue was running straight towards an egg, which had rolled out. He opened his mouth to cry a warning, but it was too late. There was a loud cry as they collided, and the egg imploded. But...where was the other dragonet? He could see the blue, but beyond that, shadows. Except...by the First Egg, those weren't shadows! That was a dragonet! A black dragonet! How could that be? Tolly knew that white dragonets were possible, though there'd only been one in history, Ruth, Lord Jaxom's dragon. But a black?The black suddenly butted the blue, sending him sprawling on the sands. Shards! Was he hurt? But no, the blue was scrambling up and running towards one of the other lads, scared but apparently uninjured. So Tolly looked back at the black with awe. What was it? Vicious thing. Who would she - for it seemed feminine - Impress? Girl? Boy? What would become of it? What was going on? The black butted another egg, and a second black tumbled out! There was more than one! This wasn't a one-time thing, like Ruth. Why were these freakish dragons here? Tolly noticed a blue hatching, but he didn't spare a glance for it. His eyes were trained on the two blacks. What would happen now?
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Post by Kabohela on Mar 14, 2009 14:31:58 GMT -6
Shula tensed as the green dragonet neared the females, all her attention on the hatchling. She grinned when the green Impressed one of the other girls. The grin on the girl's face proved that greens could be just as good as any gold. The other dragons seemed interested mostly in the males, although one did pause to sniff at a girl who was brave enough to stand in between the two lines.
Another egg hatched open, revealing...nothing? Shula frowned, leaning forward to get a better view. Then, the shadow moved. It was a dragon! A black dragon! "I knew it!" She squealed, shaking the arm of the girl next to her in her excitement. Who said dragons had to come in only five colors? The black nudged another egg, and that shattered open into another black! Shula giggled. Oh, this was so exciting!
Sileyn, on the other hand, fell on the more "shocked and appalled" end of things. He was a Healer, and to him, an unusual dragon probably meant an unhealthy dragon. He let out a gasp as the shadow-dragon helped a second hatch. Had the aberration occurred twice? Or was this really some kind of new dragon? He was distracted from watching the strange hatchling by the arrival of a seemingly normal blue. At least some of the hatchlings seemed ordinary, although there was no telling what was going on under their hides.
Aldril watched intently as the dragons began to hatch and Impress, first a green, then a blue and bronze. The black dragons were totally unexpected, and Aldril didn't know what to make of them. He didn't know much about dragons, but judging by the crowd's reaction, this was not normal at all. They seemed healthy, though, and that was what mattered, right?
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Post by Event on Mar 14, 2009 15:05:29 GMT -6
The second strangely black seemed uninterested in choosing anyone at all at the moment and was quite happy to roll around in the Sand, covering himself in the black earth and happily blowing it around at the other shaking Eggs. His sister was having a much more difficult of a time choosing who she wanted. She'd already stalked around the Hatching Cavern twice, denying everyone and anyone, hissing at some, lashing out with tooth and nail at the others. No males would do and no females either.
It was ridiculous and as much as she wanted to Impress, she just couldn't find her lifemate. Strange, though, because she could clearly feel her other half, she just couldn't find her! Frustrated, she roared at her mother, nearly knocking into the shaking gold egg as she did so. Phaelith gently butted the little black however, all affectionate. Pushed gently away, the darkly hued dragonet was just about to give up hope when...
There. There she was. Why hadn't she seen her before? Was it because she was so up high? As she began to bound for her rider, she passed the blue who was also having a difficult time finding a lifemate. The boys just...weren't working. But he didn't want to go away forever. He liked this warm place.
He looked around, for the first time, towards the females and the crowd sat on the edge of their seats. First of all, a raging black dragon was making its way to towards the very Stands that some of them sat. Secondly, the blue was actually looking toward the female line! What had gotten into him? A blue couldn't find a partner amongst females. It just didn't happen! Sure females were Impressing more and more greens, but a blue! Unheard of! Unspeakable! But at the same time...it happened!
Shula! Shula! None of those boys were right. But you're right. You're perfect. Perfect to feed me. He said happily, standing face to face with his lifemate.
Sadly for the black, she couldn't quite get to her rider and was scraping desprately at the Stands wall with her new talons. She could see her rider clearly, but just couldn't get to her! The walk way wasn't wide enough for her to get through. But maybe. Maybe her rider would hear her!
Nidoria? Nidoria! Please! Please come down here! I can barely feel you.... Her tone so sad, bordering so close to death that if the girl didn't hurry onto the Sands, she might surely lose the dragonet destined for her.
Another Egg Hatched right at that moment and a fine bronze came spilling out! The crowd cheered. Thankfully, another bronze! Another bronze would certainly right this Clutch!
~~
By Faranth, those freak dragons were Impressing! It wasn't right! That blue was cutting it close to the last straw. He couldn't contain his rage for very much longer. His knife was thirsty for blood. He had to kill...Had to destroy these freaks! He had to do what that Asteroid had not!
But where was his boy? He couldn't let his boy come to harm. His boy had to lead on for him. He was dying and he knew it, but he wouldn't leave without his son and he wouldn't leave without taking the life of that gold!
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Post by Lysita on Mar 14, 2009 15:14:34 GMT -6
Felicia rushed onto the hatching grounds and up into the stands to find a place. Shards, she was late, some of the eggs had already hatched. She just hoped that she wasn't too late to get some good watching in. She'd had a hard time picking out what to wear to such a momentous occassion. She had finally made it though, finally got to the hatching grounds to watch the rest of the hatching.
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Post by Kabohela on Mar 14, 2009 15:28:31 GMT -6
Shula jumped back as the black swatted in her general direction. So she wasn't good enough, huh? Pouting, she crossed her arms and turned her attention to the other black instead. But he wasn't doing anything interesting, just rolling around in the sand.
And then, she became aware of the blue heading towards the female! Once again, a squeal of excitement escaped her lips. Excitement turned to delight when a voice called in her mind, sounding like it had belonged there all along. Shula! Shula! None of those boys were right. But you're right. You're perfect. Perfect to feed me.[/color] The blue stopped before her, meeting her eyes with his rainbow orbs. Shula grinned, giving the blue a huge as pure joy flooded her system.
Then, she turned her gaze up to the Stands, her expression triumphant. "His name is Zalanth! And he says I'm perfect for him!" She declared, daring any hidebound idiot to dispute her. Laughing, she turned back to Zalanth. "Come, Zalanth. Let's get you some food," she said, proudly leading him off the sand.
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Firey
Amberrider
Posts: 15
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Post by Firey on Mar 14, 2009 15:55:14 GMT -6
As Xaiorynth watched the eggs beginning to hatch, revealing the little dragons within the protective shells, he smiled faintly, his gaze going from one egg to the next as dragons came forth. It was odd how peaceful the scene made him feel... Maybe it was because the magic of it wasn't as potent to him anymore, what with the fact that he had assisted with such things before, though they usually tended to be live births rather than hatchings. Quietly, the Journeyman slipped off the the side of the group of Candidates, doing his best not to step on any toes or bump anyone. The last thing he wanted to be was in the way of one of the dragons... Creatures with teeth and claws tended to use them, if they really wanted to get at something or someone.
Even though this was the only hatching he had attended, not to mention the only one he planned on attending, his brows creased as he frowned at the sight of the two anomalies. Black dragons? The man might not know much about dragonkind, but he was more than certain that there were no black ones. To be honest, the sight and the fact of their existence didn't bother him. He was merely puzzled at how it could have happened. It wasn't as if there was another black dragon that they could have inherited the colour from... Still, when they Impressed as well as the Green, and a couple Blues, he was glad. At least they wouldn't be left standing around falling victim to those that might have a different opinion than him.
Having taken his attention away from the black dragons, he looked over to the one standing by the Stands, clawing at it. What was it trying to do, exactly...? As he continued to watch it, his eyes slipped upward to what he supposed would be the object of the dragon's desire. He blinked, attempting to wrap his mind around the thought of a dragon Impressing to someone that was in the Stands. Was that supposed to happen? Shaking his head faintly, he turned away from the little dragon, shifting a little uncomfortable from foot to foot on the hot sand. Scorch it and Sear it... He should never have listened to them about the sandals and stuck to his boots.
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Post by Event on Mar 14, 2009 16:12:22 GMT -6
The bronze was completely and utterly overshadowed. As he made his way to go and Impress to his lifemate, two eggs exploded open. The first revealed yet another unusual dragon, though at least this one was such a disheartening black. It's coloring was a mix of dark red and yellows that intermingled so that her hide looked like just-hardened amber. Her coloring and her relative size made her extremely attractive, for all that she was so obviously not a normal dragon. She, unlike the two blacks, gave off a very welcoming air and seemed to bow as the crowd gasped in her direction.
As unusual as the small red-yellow dragonet was, it was the Morning Sunrise that drew the screams of surprise and amazement. How the contents of it had managed to break itself out of the Egg was a mystery to everyone for the first time a dragonet of the same color had broken shell, it had needed the help of his future rider to completely break free. The white dragonet that fell upon the sands was surprisingly dry, as though there was no thick membrane at all to cut through in his rather spacious Egg.
The reddish-yellow dragonet crooned cheerfully to the white who greeted her with a reserved nod of his head. He fanned his wings wide, stretching out in a space much more wide open than his Egg could have ever been.
Around him, the crowd was dumbfounded; the Northern Master Harper had guessed that the smallest Egg of the bunch, the Lonely Hearts Club would have been the one Egg, if any, to hold Pern's second white dragon in history. It didn't make sense that from the first, who had such a hard time birthing that the second would be able to break shell so easily.
The white and amber met in the center of the Hatching Grounds, both obviously introducing themselves and getting to know each other. The bronze and remaining black seemed less inclined to do so now that they considered each other competition. After all, the obsidian could want the same boy that the bronze did. Sizing each other up, the two dragonets fled towards the males and, luckily, veered off in separate directions to their boys.
Hey, N'lel! I'm here. I finished playing. But I'm really hungry now. The black dragonet told his future rider, sitting patiently in front of the young man.
You're mine! I won't let that brother of mine have you! The bronze said loudly to his lifemate, Tolly.
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Post by cerise on Mar 14, 2009 16:25:10 GMT -6
The first dragonet to Hatch was not, in fact, the egg whose shaking had begun this entire spectacle, but a very round little green. A green wasn't of much interest to him - but there was a blue, and a bronze, brilliant, beautiful! Not that the green wasn't, but she was just so... spherical. A dragon like that wouldn't be too good with Raleigh's explorative nature. But the bronze, too, had something odd about him - he was just sitting there, looking terrified of something. The blue was far braver than he. What on earth could be wrong?
Yet soon enough the problem was resolved, the blue flicking a trundlebug from his clutchbrother's nose. And soon after, the bronze was running headlong at Raleigh himself, a voice ringing through his head. You won't have to, Bemresth! He responded instinctively, unsure of how he even knew the dragonet's name. But he did; the sense of the bronze was there in his head, as though it should have been all along, filling a place in his mind and soul that had been empty and waiting. A smile of pure joy passed over the young man's face, and he allowed the dragonet to half-lead him to where he could be fed, and tell his new rider all about the horrors of the trundlebug he had faced at his birth.
Retselin spared a smile for his brother's Impression, but he was rather busy worrying about the multiple strange dragons now emerging from the eggs - two black dragons, imagine that! And one that was a strange amber, and another white... what on Pern was happening with this Hatching? Would the dragons be healthy? Well, the two blacks had gone and Impressed already, so he supposed they would, but... it was very strange, truly.
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Post by Khay on Mar 14, 2009 17:07:45 GMT -6
OoC: Since I fail so hard at noticing my own spelling mistakes. xD There is also the last bit added to it.
Nidoria sat upon the stands, watching as the candidates got in, a smile upon her lips as she noticed Lenia enter the sands. She couldn’t help but feel her lips curve into the faintest of smiles. It was amazing how having a friend could do that to someone. Of course, they had gotten off to a rough start, but it was to be expected knowing their personalities, now they were getting to know each other. Honestly, being in the Weyr for a few foursevendays and chilling the Souther Hold had done her a lot of good. She wasn’t as worn down as she had been before, and now at least, she had met a few people along the way. It was quite something that she could be happy of… Unfortunately, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to keep in touch with them for very long. It was only on rare occasions that she came down South. Of course, she always had Eiko to try and send messages to her friend. It would be entertaining, and perhaps when she became a dragonrider, she’d be able to come visit her every now and again.
Slowly her eyes trailed towards the hatchling as she noticed that the eggs were going to rock. Her eyes were fixated to the dragons, she couldn’t help but just stare at them, smiling faintly as the green came out of her shell. She seemed… So much bigger than she ever expected a dragon to be! It was funny, because she had always thought that Greens were supposed to be thin and lithe, but this one was… chubby? She didn’t want to be insulting, but she couldn’t help it as the words came through her mind. It wasn’t as though she wanted to think badly of the dragon. She found it horribly adorable! When the girl impressed her green, she clapped politely for her, but her eyes had already strayed towards the Blue and the Bronze.
It was only then, after the bronze had impressed that Nidoria’s attention became clearly focused upon the hatching grounds. When Leave Me Alone got opened by the blue, Nidoria stared at it intently wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. Was that really a black dragonet walking out of that egg? As the gasp and shudders traveled through the crowd, she couldn’t help but look around. Everyone was seeing the same thing as her. Even the sunlight upon the dragon’s skin wouldn’t light it up. It was as black as death, as between perhaps. She had never seen a dragon quite like it, and watching the dragon, she doubted that she ever would have believed someone had they told her about this hatching. Black dragons simply didn’t exist!
As she pushed the blue away from her, Nidoria couldn’t help but wince faintly, grateful when the blue finally ran to his rider upon the sands. At least the little one was safe from the mutated colour… But when the black dared go as far as to headbutt another egg, she couldn’t help but bring herself to the edge of her seat. The second black that fell out shocked her. So this wasn’t a one time thing like the white had been. Now there were Black dragons in the Weyr. Nidoria didn’t even know if anyone would ever believe her if she spoke of this hatching. Of course, by the time she got to the North, everyone would have heard, and there wouldn’t be anyone to speak to.
Of course, the little dragon didn’t seem to like the attention so much, scaring off her clutch-sibling until he had backed off… Just what kind of dragons were these? She couldn’t help the thoughts that traveled through her mind as she starred at the black dragonet, ignorant to the blue hatching upon the sands. These dragons were intimidating, the female was huge. The size of a small bronze!
She watched as the black stalked around the sands, turning away from everyone around her, practically maiming others! What a violent dragon! Almost aghast, she couldn’t help but watch her. This black that stole all of her attention. It was then that she saw the black challenge the Queen, only to be pushed away. It was then that she saw the black rushing towards the Stands. It caused her to look around, confused. Why was it walking in this direction? Wasn’t there enough candidates on the sands?! She barely noticed a blue walking towards a female candidate as she watched the Black reach the stands, desperately clawing at the wall, attempting to climb up. She knew that the dragon wouldn’t fit through the narrow walkway, but still, why at the stands?
~Nidoria? Nidoria! Please! Please come down here! I can barely feel you....~
It was then that she heard a voice within her head, and before she knew what she was doing, she simply jumped out of her seat and rushed through the crowd in front of her, legs carrying her over people’s legs as she ran. There was a certain crushing sense within her chest, a certain horrified panic that forced her to rush. Walking through the people to get to the walkway wasn’t fast enough. As the wall approached, Nidoria didn’t even hesitate. She took one step on the bench before the wall, and leapt over it.
Her landing upon the ground was a nearly harsh one. It was only five feet, but the sand made it an awkward landing spot. Slowly she brought herself into a standing position as the large black dragon raced towards her, plummeting into her rider as her nose went straight towards her rider’s stomach.
~You were so far away… So distant… I could barely feel you… But you’re here now.~ The Obsidian spoke as she felt gentle hesitant hands touch her. Hands that were almost fearful upon her hide. Slowly the dragonet raised her head to look at the woman upon the ground, flat on her rear.
“Waenlath…” Nidoria whispered to her Obsidian as she stared at her, her eyes meeting the rainbow coloured eyes before her as adoration flowed through every nerve within her body, and she felt herself feel whole. The dragon’s voice was a voice that she had known all her life… One that she would recognize anywhere. It was almost as though she had dreamt it, even if it was the first time that she had ever heard it. This was her bonded.
“I’m here now… You have nothing to fear…” She whispered as she buried her face within her dragon’s neck, scared and shaken as her bonded was. She had almost lost her. She had almost lost this. She felt it in her gut… It was there, it was real, it was true. It scared her. She wouldn’t ever leave her alone.
The Obsidian basked in the love from her rider, placing her head over her shoulder, holding her close as her three lids fell upon her eyes. Her little form was shaking, the hysteria only starting to go away now. She knew that her rider could feel it. She knew that she was scared too. She could feel it. Waenlath didn’t know what she would have done had Nidoria hadn’t jumped across that ledge when she had. At least she had come, and that was all that the black coloured dragon reveled in.
After a moment, the pair parted, and Nidoria looked down at the black with a loving smile upon her face. “You’re hungry, aren’t you?” She inquired with a soft laugh, a laugh only for her dragon as she placed a hand upon her dragon’s head. She could feel it in her own stomach.
~Yes.~ The Obsidian spoke softly as she placed her head closer to the woman’s hand. She needed the attention right now. She needed to be with her rider. It was an urgent need that surpassed hunger. If her rider wasn’t around, she knew that she would go crazy.
“Then let’s go.” Nidoria whispered softly to her as she squared her shoulders, looking at the holders in the stands for a minute. She was daring them to say a word about her dragon. She wasn’t going to take it. If they thought her a mutant, or a freak, they would have to deal with her. And honestly, they wouldn’t want to deal with the two of them together. Her dragon was big, the size of a large brown. She had every right to be here as any other dragon did. Those were the thoughts that traveled through her mind as she took her dragon out to eat, only noticing the new colours as she led her lifemate. She couldn’t help but smirk faintly. People would have to deal. These dragons were around to stay.
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